To find these covid snitching threads terrifying

[CrotchBurn]

Student house party. 75% voted for OP to call police.

Really?

I think this thread is chilling proof at how far we've fallen in a society within such a small amount of time. Less than a year with constant media brainwashing, all of us essentially under house arrest, and look at us. Clearing out supermarkets and calling the police because "it's the right thing to do" and "they're putting society at risk".

Who else would you have turned in?

At what other point in history would you have colluded with the government to "do the right thing", without any thought for your fellow humans just being people?

They are students. They are broke, they have been confined to their box rooms almost a whole year. Have some heart for christs sake.

And by the way, I do believe in covid. I believe in staying home and wearing masks and doing the right thing. I would never grass though. Ever. And that goes for covid antics, benefit fraud, whatever. I believe people sometimes do what they need to do to survive physically or emotionally.

I think its terrifying what society has become in less than a year.

Who would have thought we would be living on a world where you would be standing in a little yellow circle traced out on a supermarket floor, and not an inch over if you please, else you'll be reported as a health threat!

Is this our world now? In which young lonely people are turned in and fined for spending time together?

I'm not advocating for student parties, I'm advocating for looking away when you see one.

[Kacee29]

I wouldn’t snitch but my god I’d be annoyed. My in laws are nightmares. Having parties. Having people to stay from other parts of the countries (all on Instagram), travelling and staying elsewhere in lockdown. Would I report them? No. Do I get annoyed? Yes. Especially because after the first lockdown they said I shouldn’t send my kids back to school is too dangerous yet they do all the above 🤣

[JacobReesMogadishu]

What would that make you?

How about responsible?

[CrotchBurn]

@ShinyGreenElephant
It would make you an upstanding civilian apparently! ;)

[isitsnowingyet]

@CrotchBurn

You're talking a load of old cobblers. And no, it's not anything like 'grassing' in the second world war.

I think you must be somewhat hard of thinking if you believe that.

I work day in day out in a hospital and am truly fed up of idiotic attitudes like this - GET a Grip! HTH

[AlternativePerspective]

@CrotchBurn are people so incapable of interpreting a post which says that someone is “in no place to comment” as trying to shut down debate?

But for the hard of thinking I shall explain...

Anyone who compares someone reporting a student party to a nazi sympathiser has no moral high ground here and cannot possibly be taken seriously when they state that someone is wrong for questioning where you draw the line at what crimes you report.

Said poster is of course free to post what they like. But shouldn’t be surprised when posters take no notice because what they post is so offensive it doesn’t show that poster in any light but a negative one.

[dinglethedragon]

[quote CrotchBurn]@AlternativePerspective

I absolutely agree with your take on it, but my point was that regardless of the ethics of it, I dont believe snitching is right[/quote]
Listen to yourself. "Regardless of the ethics" 🤨 No - regardless of the ethics means YOU are being unethical. You have elevated this childish notion of "not snitching" above the lives and well being of others.

Would you report someone who was about to drive down a motorway drunk? There's no guarantee they would cause an accident, but we know that this is commonly a cause of accidents, just like we know that indoor gatherings are a common way for COVID to spread.

Frankly OP you sound like a six year old in the school playground. No wonder we can't get this under control, it's down to people like you just as much as the idiots partying.

In my own circle of acquaintances I know of two deaths, two cases of long covid and my dcs's friend's dad is in an induced coma. Grow up. "Snitching" FFS 😡

[JacobReesMogadishu]

A party I wouldnt because for all I know the students are then completely isolated from others in their normal day to day lives

So they never go to supermarkets, the library, lectures?

What if they were nursing students going to placement?

[Oeliil]

What possibly disturbs me more is the current inability to debate without constant attempts to shut the debate down. Be it anti-Vax or discussing Covid there’s a fear of information and debate. I believe we should be raising critical thinkers, not falling over each other to block out information and discussions. This is ok to talk abut, without getting personal or taking extreme points and ignoring nuances. Really.

I agree with the OP to an extent. For example my neighbours had a garden gathering. I know their circumstances, young adults who aren’t visiting family (abroad) and working in their own vans together on building sites. They are decent, not bringing and real extra risk to others in their actions either. The long term implications of breaking down a relationship with them is real, they are considerate and help me out (such as jump starting my car, watching my kids in an emergency milk run for a few min or holding a ladder for us etc). I’m not going to damage this for the sake of ‘rules’ or ‘I feel shit, so you will too’.

I didn’t see the thread on the student house party, if it was small I’d turn a blind eye- if it was a total piss take I’d probably knock on the talk and threaten to tell their university. I wouldn’t sneak around, I’ve never seen scary students.

[trixiebelden77]

I’m an ICU dr and really loathe the decision to make this a law enforcement issue, it actually makes public health tracing and management harder.

[CrotchBurn]

@isitsnowingyet
The poster drawing those parallels also works in a hospital apparently

[Anniemabel]

I understand the irritation with people reporting the slightest breach. But dropping in on a lonely relative is very different to students having a house party. It’s not supposed to be us vs the law. Where do you draw the line? If someone got hideously drunk and then got in their car to drive home I would tell them to get a taxi or I would call the police. If they carried on to drive themselves I would follow through and call the police to prevent them killing someone. How are student house parties any different?

[Backbee]

If your not capable of engaging in impartial debate, I'm afraid I cant read past the first line of your post. Sorry

When is debate impartial? No skin off my nose, just suggests you don't really have any counter to those points other than I don't want to be a snitch.

Oh, and it's you're.

[CrotchBurn]

@Oeliil
Agreed. Pathetic, grow up, etc etc. All very reminiscent of "swivel eyed Brexit loons" and "Remoaners". Its like nobody is capable of just making their point in a neutral way.

[Oeliil]

I’m sure someone will point out the typos I made and use it to dismiss everything I’ve said in a patronising tone.

[Aridane]

We are all going to get this blasted Covid sooner or later

Er, what?

[AltJ]

[quote CrotchBurn]@isitsnowingyet
The poster drawing those parallels also works in a hospital apparently[/quote]
I do indeed.

I'd be interested to know how many of the 'informers' have actually had Covid.

The behaviour of @AlternativePerspective here is so illuminating. They don't agree with me so immediately tried to silence me, saying I was offensive and shouldn't be listened to. Then when that was pointed out backtracked with 'Oh I didn't say you COULDN'T COMMENT, just that you weren't worth listening to.'

Terrifying.

[GalesThisMorning]

Arghh. Its sunday morning. I'm not going to sit on my phone engaging with the - covid Britain is like Nazi Germany crowd.

It isn't. You're wrong. Read some books.

Arghh! Okay out of here

[CrotchBurn]

@Backbee
No it suggests I don't engage with anti-intellectualism. Again, sorry!

[AlternativePerspective]

Also for people who e.g. wouldn’t report a shoplifter or someone for benefit fraud because “you don’t know the circumstances” it’s worth bearing in mind that people have their own individual views on what circumstances could apply to a crime and whether it should be reported.

So while you might not report someone for benefit fraud because maybe that person is down on their luck, so someone else might not report the woman they see smacking and screaming at a child in public because “maybe they were just having a bad day” when in fact maybe what happens behind closed doors is far worse.

Maybe someone else won’t report their neighbour for beating up his wife because “It’s none of my business.”

This is how so much crime goes unreported. Because there is always someone willing to turn a blind eye/who does not want to be involved. And all those crimes escalate until they do become murder, murder which could so easily have been prevented if the previous crimes had been reported.

Now while I’m not equating having a student party with murder, fact is that having a student party still is a crime, and just because your boundaries tell you that it isn’t doesn’t mean that someone who reports is wrong.

[AwaAnBileYerHeid]

@CrotchBurn yes I would report. And I would report out of genuine concerns of public health. If reporting meant that the party was broken up, that 1 asymptomatic person was prevented from spreading covid to 2 folk. And those 2 folk spread it to 4. And those 4 spread it onto 8...see where I'm going? And if one of those people who caught it and were asymptomatic were then in the shop and passed it onto a carer....who then went on to her job in the local care home and caused an outbreak there, killing off 3 old folk. Passing it on to her colleagues who may live with vulnerable partners, children etc.

Because this is how it spreads. Do you honestly not understand why people report? They are trying to stop people from carrying out actions like massive parties and the resulting above situations. You can honestly say hand on heart that you don't understand why people report?

[LauraBassi]

@Pepperwand

There's a viciousness to people's policing of others behaviour that makes me very uncomfortable.

This is how I feel. The pandemic has brought out some very unpleasant traits in certain people. The hand wringing, finger pointing, lack of understanding of others and that life is full of risk. I think the media has a lot to answer for it's left a lot of people utterly terrified, shut in their homes. We are following "the rules" but I do feel uncomfortable about it all.

I agree.

It’s scary. I’ve seen countless threads on MN where posters were called murderers for going to the shop for a pint of milk ect..

One thread that sticks in my mind was a poster really struggling with their mental health. Had been diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression and wanted to walk to the next town to see her sister - in the garden. A poster came on and said that she might have mental health issues but she could cause mental health illness in some one else as apparently ‘new evidence’ had come out that covid also causes mental illness in people and damages the lining of the brain - so in effect telling some one who was really fucking struggling that they may cause brain damage to some one else.

We’ve actually lived through pandemics before. We got through it with out all the hysteria but then again SM wasn’t out then and that and the news have got a lot to answer to.

But no, I wouldn’t report anyone. I’m too busy for that kind of shit

[AltJ]

@GalesThisMorning

Arghh. Its sunday morning. I'm not going to sit on my phone engaging with the - covid Britain is like Nazi Germany crowd.

It isn't. You're wrong. Read some books.

Arghh! Okay out of here

'It isn't. Youre wrong.'

I've red lots of books thanks.

Why don't you attempt to explain why the psychological process is different? Instead of claiming that you are clever and other people aren't, which just displays your own ignorance.

I'll wait for your intellectual explanation fo the differences in psychology at play..

[AltJ]

red = read

[Oeliil]

@Anniemabel I think the difference is how you deal with things. If I saw someone entering a car drunk, planning to drive I’d approach them and warn them. If they persisted I’d warn them I’d tell the police (and I would). I wouldn’t watch them do it and then call 999 if I had any opportunity to stop it first.

It’s the same with the house party. I’d knock and talk with my neighbours before I called the police. If they persisted after a reasonable conversation I’d warn them I would. The bit I take issue with is the spying out the curtains and calling the police as a first step. That’s snitching and what breaks society down.

The only time I wouldn’t be up front and communicate first is if there was a direct danger in doing so, for example I’d call the police if I overheard what was obviously domestic violence- as a delay or my presence may cause further harm to someone.